Twilight of Splendor: The Court of Queen Victoria During Her Diamond Jubilee Year

by Greg King

Power, pageantry, and pride



Queen Victoria ruled the most powerful empire the world has ever seen, covering one fourth of the earth's land surface, reigning over subjects on every continent, and exercising undisputed mastery of the oceans in between. She was the "Grandmother of Europe," with descendants occupying the thrones of half a dozen nations, and more to come. The very era in which she lived already bore her name. In June 1897, her proud and prosperous nation marked her sixtieth year on the throne of England with the most lavish display of pomp, circumstance, wealth, and affection in its history.

Twilight of Splendor presents a breathtaking portrait of a sovereign and her empire at the height of their global power. Focusing on the spectacle of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, it combines a thrilling account of that massive celebration with an intimate exploration of Victoria's world--her splendid palaces and possessions, the grand banquets and balls she hosted, her immense wealth, the politicians and courtiers who did her bidding, her confidence and assertiveness as a ruler, her surprising personal humility, and her perpetual state of mourning for her beloved husband, Prince Albert.

Based on hundreds of published and unpublished sources from the period, including Queen Victoria's private correspondence and personal journals, Twilight of Splendor is must reading for Anglophiles, Victorian-history buffs, and anyone interested in the golden age of monarchy.
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The first book to portray the queen and her court in the last years of her reign
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Contrasts the queen's private and public images in her efforts to solidify the monarchy
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Exposes the queen's difficult relations with her children
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Explores the queen's relationship with her extended European royal relatives
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Draws together for the first time hundreds of disparate sources
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Includes a number of rare photographs complementing the text

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Biography, 19th Century, Royalty, Victorian

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Greg King (born 1964) is an American author, best known for his biographies of prominent historical figures.

He is the author of eleven internationally published works of royal and social history, specializing in late Imperial Russia and Edwardian-era royalty, including The Fate of the Romanovs, The Court of the Last Tsar, and the UK bestseller The Duchess of Windsor. A frequent onscreen expert and commentator for historical documentaries, his work has appeared in Majesty Magazine, Royalty Magazine, Royalty Digest, and Atlantis Magazine.

Source: wikipedia.com & us.macmillan.com

Reviews

[Zosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview on Queen Victoria and her court, though filled with description and sometimes unnecessary details.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my problem with this book is that two thirds of it was about the queen's daily routine and pattern of her year in her later years.

And then two or three chapters tacked on at the end were actually about the Diamond Jubilee.

Also there was a bit much for my taste about the queen's decorating choices at her palaces.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is perfectly fine, but I didn't really need to read it. Since I've been on a Queen Victoria and Co. toot lately, the parts which I found most interesting which were about the people were more of a recap. And the rest is incredibly in-depth description of the royal buildings, inside and out and everything that went on in the court regarding dining, etc. I would be fascinated by that if I was watching it, for me reading about it gets a bit tedious. But if that if your cup of tea, this is the book for you.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is good, but it is only within the last chapter that the Diamond Jubilee is addressed. Given that was my interest in this book, the rest is laboriously detailed recap of what I already knew about Queen Victoria.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in the reign of Queen Victoria you really can't go wrong with this book. Ostensibly about only her Diamond Jubilee year, in fact the prose goes back into the earlier parts of The Queen's reign to explain events relating to her life and habits. It especially spends time on the relationship between The Queen and Prince Albert, who had died 40 or so years previously. It also, in the last chapter, jumps ahead to her death in 1901.

Throughout, this book's strength lies in describing how the Queen and her courtiers actually lived. It touches on dress, etiquette, jewelry and much else besides. I especially liked the way it described The Queen's various houses - Buckingham Palace of course, but also Osborne House, Balmoral and Windsor. The book talks about the time she spent in these residences; often covers the layout and furnishings of important rooms; and most interestingly to me, how Queen Victoria actually used these homes. If that sounds insufferably dull then this book is not for you. But if you, like me, have an interest in minutiae Victoriana, you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

I went back and forth in my mind as to whether I should give this book three or four stars. In the end I gave the book three stars because it wasn't quite as good as the book I'd read previously by the same author about the court of Czar Nicholas II. But I still highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in the period.

[Dagmar1927 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I did enjoy most of this book, and the parts that I did enjoy were extremely interesting, I was somewhat distracted and irritated by the lavishly-worded descriptions of the Queen's interior decoration. While certainly interesting at first, I soon gave up the will to live and quickly read ahead as soon as I saw the word 'curtains' or 'carpeting'.

This said, however, the Jubilee itself and the sections about the Queen's children and in particular her servants and general court were extremely interesting and well-written.

Had it not been for the obsession with describing almost every room or building ever made, this would have five stars from me.

[Whimsical · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that the book provided insight into the lives of her many children and grand children and the relationship she had with them. In addition, I like the fact that it covered the last years of her life in more detail that I have read.

I would not put this book in the category of one of the best I have read about Queen Victoria. I was bored with too many detailed descriptions of her many residences, the various processions, balls, the attire etc., and not enough of analysis of the Queen.

I still find Queen Victoria and the era in which she lived and reigned quite fascination and can't turn down an opportunity to read any book about this period in history.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be another rehashing of familiar territory, but there is terrific use of private correspondence here that brings the narrative to life. Also, despite purporting to be about only the jubilee year, there is, in fact, so much background and supporting material, that this is a sturdy, all purpose biography of Victoria, and a most readable one at that.

[Lynne-marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queen Victoria reigned for seventy years -- unthinkable today. And this book follows her through the entire year of her Diamond Jubilee Year revealing much about her and the edifice she had errected to protect herself since her beloved husband had died so many years earlier. We use the term "Victorian" unthinkingly for the most part and I wanted to know more about who she was and had come to be. I did, though not in an inspiring way, I am sorry to say.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grand read looking at the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Victoria -- 1897. The celebrations, her homes and travels, her servants and all sorts of little details about the grandest court in Europe. Royalty nuts should have a grand time with this one.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_40300...

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent account of Victoria's DIamond jubilee year and just as interesting a good look at what was clearly the early signs of the beginning of the end for many of her royal relatives as well. Dark clouds were clearly on the horizon

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, not the worst of the histories of Queen Victoria. There is some new material that I haven't seen before but much of it is familiar to the lover of Victoriana. The author has a nice style and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to the casual reader of British history.

[Borden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of typos.